The Battle of Antietam, fought on September 17, 1862, was one of the bloodiest days in American history, with nearly 6,000 soldiers killed. 6,000 soldiers were killed at Antietam, almost four times the number of people killed on D-Day and nearly twice as many killed in the entire war in Iraq. Who then won the battle of Antietam? This debate has raged for years among historians, but there is no truth to it. The only thing historians can agree on is that September 17 was a horrible day in American history
Antietam was fought among a few battles during the Civil War, in which both sides chose the field. to fight The Confederate plan was to use Antietam as a defensive post against the Union. The Army of the Potomac had the advantage of nearly 60,000 men of nearly 40,000 Confederates. The Union decided to commit the first battle. General George McClellan had a great war plan, but it was poorly executed. The 9th Corps under General Ambrose Burnside attacked across the southern bridge, which later bore his name and was compared to the Battle of Antietam. The Burnsides were burning the bridge all day.
All he was going to do was wait for the troops together across the bridge. It could easily have folded at the station, but Burnsides didn’t see it until later in the day. Burnsides never dug in and rolled the Confederate right flank, which was the plan. If that had happened, and perhaps the war would have been fought. It was not until late in the afternoon that the two Federal regiments secured the position on the other side, but by then it was too late.
Across the line, things were going so badly for the Union commanders. General Joseph Hooker in the Union Army led the attack on the right. After 5 hours neither side had gained an advantage in the battle. Both sides suffered heavy casualties and by noon nearly 12,000 Union and Confederate troops lay dead or wounded. Finally, the sheer size of the Union Army overwhelmed the Confederates on their left flank. The rebel divisions broke and ran, but McClellan did not decide to pursue. Unfortunately, the Confederate Army was broken. If the Union army was expelled, the Confederate Army would be destroyed that day. Years later, McClellan would say that he did not plan the attack because of the heavy casualties the Union forces had taken.
The cost of the battle is staggering. About 6,000 people were killed, and another 17,000 were wounded or captured. Scarcely thirty thousand of the Confederates remained unharmed after the battle. On the night of September 18, Lee led his army back into Virginia without much harassment from the federal forces.
Who then won the battle of Antietam? Neither side can claim victory. On both sides they suffered heavy casualties, which prevented them from committing any further battle. Most historians believe that neither party won or lost the battle. Except the thousands of people who died that day.
